Waterfall Village Reborn! The Next Generation!
by Slade Stone
Summary: This is a Naruto fan fiction that takes place during the three year time jump. It is about the Hidden Waterfall Village and how they are reworking their village to become better. Follow along the story of these all new original characters.
1. The Order is Given! Return all Shinobi!

/NOTE\

This is a Naruto fan fiction that takes place during the three year time jump. There characters depicted are mostly original but there are some very short appearances from characters seen in the manga/anime but I do not own or take credit for creating those characters. Those characters will be mentioned when used.

Also, this story was written by Slade Stone but concepts were created by both Slade Stone and The Konfuzed. The Konfuzed also did the editing.

Comments/Feedback/Suggestions are greatly appreciated.

/NOTE\

Introduction

In the shinobi world there are many villages full of all different types of shinobi. Some villages, like Konohagakure, are larger and have a greater military presence then some of the smaller villages. Welcome to Takigakure, one of those smaller villages, not known for much more then being the Hidden Waterfall Village.

Takigakure has very few high ranked ninja however due to recent events regarding the rebuilding of both Sunagakure, the village hidden in the Sand, and Konohagakure, the village hidden in the Leaves, Takigakure has decided to create a new ninja academy to help bring in a new era where Takigakure is no longer considered a useless town with no good shinobi.

Chapter One: The Order is Given! Return all Shinobi!

"The order has been given Shibuki, all Waterfall ninja are to report immediately to Takigakure. But sir, I'm afraid even if all our shinobi do return to the village we still won't have that many sir." stated a messenger. Shibuki, the leader of Takigakure, grinned at the messenger. He walked to his desk, sat in his chair, and looked out his window at all his villagers.

"All I need is a few. Five Jounins, high class ninja, will be more than enough for our academy." The messenger looked puzzled as he slowly exited the room.

Shibuki started going through stacks of paperwork on his desk regarding several children who applied for the new ninja academy that had just finished being built, however Shibuki still needs teachers for his classes and so far none of the villages previous ninja have returned.

One month went by, and Shibuki was beginning to lose hope until he saw an old comrade was walking back into the village. The tall man looked up at Shibuki and within the blink of an eye was inside of his office. "Hey Shibuki, heard you need some of us old geezers to come back." said the tall mysterious ninja standing before Shibuki.

"Welcome back Sukejuro Hashimoto. You haven't changed a bit." commented Shibuki.

He looked over his old friend, Sukejuro Hashimoto. He was still just shy of six feet tall and still skinny as ever. His black hair had grown past his shoulders since the last time Shibuki had seen him, but he still had those fierce green eyes. His fashion sense hadn't changed much either. He was wearing a tight black long sleeve shirt that went all the way down to even cover his hands. Over his shirt he had the typical Jounin vest except his was a dark shade of blue to blend in with water more and he had a matching pair of dark blue cargo pants. He looked like the typical Takigakure Jounin except he wears his forehead protecter showing the sign of the waterfall on his left thigh.

"What took you so long?" asked Shibuki with a humorous expression on his face. Sukejuro pointed to the back of the room.

"I had to pick them up on the way." Two more ninja were standing right behind Shibuki without him noticing a thing. The two ninja pointed out the window to show Shibuki something. Shibuki walked back to the window where there seemed to be at least ten more Jounin looking up at him ready for orders.

" You never cease to amaze me Sukejuro. Have you been briefed?" pondered Shibuki, still somewhat in a state of shock.

"All I know is that you plan on reforming the village somehow and you need all shinobi to help." he replied. Shibuki turned and looked at Sukejuro with a wide grin on his face that scared him in a way. The two of them met with the other shinobi for an emergency meeting where they discussed the future of the village and Shibuki's dream of the village becoming more stable and having more ninja.

"Welcome fellow Waterfall Shinobi. Our village is in need of serious reworking. Our numbers grow less and our ninja grow weak. If something isn't done soon then our village will be stuck in the shadow of all the other villages. I will not allow this!" shouted Shibuki with a fierce glare in his eye. The Jounin all looked around at one another somewhat concerned to what Shibuki might suggest.

"What exactly are you suggesting Shibuki?" pondered a lady ninja in the rear of the room.

"Is that you Endoh? Of-course it is! I would recognize Endoh Kumiko's voice anywhere. The Waterfall Village's most beautiful and most deadly female ninja." proclaimed Shibuki.

Endoh Kumiko is the only female Jounin still alive in the Waterfall Village. She is a young woman only in her mid-twenties but she is a lot more deadly then she looks. She is about five foot five inches and has short sky blue hair. She is wearing the same thing as Sukejuro, however her black shirt is cut rather low in the neck revealing a less than appropriate amount of skin. Her forehead band, however, is holding her hair back rather then being placed at her thigh. She is known as the Waterfall Vixen and is somewhat short tempered and impatient.

"Well, what is it?" she asked loudly.

"I have built a new ninja academy that is ready to be opened, and all it needs is teachers and team leaders. Our village has plenty of ninja that are ready for squads, but no-one to mentor them. In order for our village to becoming stronger, we need to focus on the next generation of ninja. That is what I propose." Everyone went silent after Shibuki finished his speech. The sweat rolled down his forehead and cheeks as the ninja looked at one another. Although the silence didn't last long, it was the longest moment of Shibuki's life.

Sukejuro slammed his hand on the table! He them screamed, "I will follow you Shibuki! You are the head of our village and it is our duty to obey your orders." Shibuki heard mutters in the background, and one by one the Jounin began to agree with what he had to say until all of them were supporting him fully.

"Then it's settled! The new academy is to open immediately! All current academy students will now attend the new academy and I have already handpicked students to be put in an advanced course leading to almost immediate graduation!" shouted Shibuki with authority. The Jounin all looked at him with serious looking expressions on their faces. They all were wondering why Shibuki would allow students to graduate early. "The students I have selected have been in our current academy for a long time and are near graduation already but the problem is that we don't have enough Jounin to act as squad leaders for the older students. They are all gifted in their own way, but they have no-one to guide them and train them. That's where some of you come in." Shinuki pointed at a few Jounin in the room, one of them being Sukejuro.

"The students I have selected will be given one last test and those who pass will be put under your immediate command in the traditional three man teams. You all have your orders, you are dismissed!" With Shibuki's orders given, the Jounin vanished from the room with their almost inhuman speed. Graduation day is upon us, a new era for the Waterfall Village.


	2. Graduation Day! Meet the new Teams!

Chapter Two: Graduation Day! Meet the new Teams!

Shibuki walked into the current ninja academy and all the students stood to greet him. He walked into the front of a large assembly room with a large amount of students from all ages watching him. "You all are probably wondering why I have called you all here for assembly. I have some great news students. You will all be moving to a new academy with an almost all new teaching staff." Shibuki continued his speech as some of the students in the back of the room began talking among themselves.

"Hey Akinari, what do you get from all this?" asked a tall boy with short red spiky hair.

"Well Takamori, I'm thinking they might be moving us to a new academy." replied Akinari, a kid with long brown hair down to his shoulders.

"No really? I'm being serious for once, what do you think Shibuki Sensei is up..." before Takamori could finish his sentence Sukejuro appeared in front of him holding his hand over his mouth.

"You know boy, it's rude to be talking when someone older and far more wise is talking." muttered Sukejuro.

All the kids around Takamori were frozen in amazement by the fact that Sukejuro just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Sukejuro!" screamed Shibuki. "You're disrupting my speech, now take your seat on the stage."

Sukejuro was about to say something to Shibuki when Takamori stopped him and said, "You know that it's rude to be talking when someone older and **far** more wise is talking." Sukejuro went red with anger while Takamori just sat there with a wide grin on his face.

"Sukejuro! I'm waiting." said Shibuki from the front of the room. Sukejuro calmed himself down and vanished in the blink of an eye only to reappear sitting in a seat at the front of the room.

"Thank you Sukejuro. As I was saying, there will be a few students sent to a final class for graduation tests. I have handpicked fifteen students to be sent to this class. When I call your name, please come to the front of the room and stand on the stage." Shibuki then started listing off names, and just as Takamori put his head down to start sleeping, his name, as well as Akinari's, were called.

The two students, as well as thirteen others, stood up and began walking up to the room. They all lined up in a line facing the rest of the student body and Shibuki began speaking again. "These are your future ninja! All who pass will be given the lowest rank, Genin, and will begin training immediately after. Everyone congratulate them and classes will resume tomorrow at the new academy!" after Shibuki finished his speech the students went wild with excitement. all you could hear was loud cheering filling the room.

The room emptied quickly with happy students running home to tell their parents about the new academy and everything that had happened, everyone except Takamori and Akinari. "Kunai for your thoughts." joked Takamori. Akinari lifted his head and looked at Takamori with a worried look on his face.

"I don't know if I'm ready for this. We have only been in the academy for a few years, were still not even teenagers. Our village doesn't have many ninjas... Why do you think that is?" Takamori looked puzzled at what Akinari was saying. "I know why... Its because ninjas have a short life span. I'm not ready to die Takamori... Not when I have something to live for again..."

Takamori put his hand on Akinari's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll be there to protect you. Don't forget, we're brothers and family always looks out for family." Takamori had a big smile on his face but on the inside was also scared out of his mind. The two boys finally left the building and started on a path home.

"So those are the two boys you were talking about Shibuki?" asked Sukejuro looking out of Shibuki's office window. Shibiuki walked over to the window and confirmed that those were the two boys he mentioned earlier to Sukejuro. Shibuki turned around and picked up their files and handed them to Sukejuro who began reading them over.

"Interesting... The Waterfall Village hasn't seen a bloodline in almost fifty years. The Asano clan, huh? Interesting... Takamori Asano... And what about the orphan Akinari Horigome?"

Sukejuro continues to read as Shibuki explains to him. "Those are the two boys I believe will help bring in a new era to the Waterfall Village. They are both very special in their own ways. Takamori has the Ryuuchougan bloodline ability, if you haven't noticed his peculiar eyes already. He is able to release chakra into water but not like any other ninja I have ever seen. With his Ryuuchougan he can see the precise flow of the water, not only that but he can speed up the flow, make it change directions, he can even make it take different shapes." Sukejuro looked intrigued and asked why Takamori hasn't been promoted to Genin already. "That's simple Sukejuro. I haven't had the ninja able to train his skills or lead a squad of ninja. All the Jounin I have, until the lot of you arrived, have been doing different missions so the Waterfall Village doesn't become forgotten. Besides, without Jounin to give the boy proper training, his skills aren't that far along. But still, he shows such great potential."

"What about the other boy?" Sukejuro asked, as he flipped open Akinari's case file.

"He's harder to explain... I'm not sure even where to begin." Shibuki paused for a minute to think about the day they found Akinari. "The boy was found in an abandoned lab near the outskirts of the forest. By the looks of it there was some very serious experiments going on with DNA and chakra fusion. Not much is known about the boy but from what I can tell you he doesn't remember a thing about his past and I want to keep it that way. We think that he might somehow related to the experiments done by the legendary missing Sannin Orichimaru. If you ever take a good look at him, you will see that he has several circular metal plates on his body. They found the boy with several tubes of different fluids being pumped both in and out of him. He has a bad history... When he arrived at the village it was decided that he would be adopted by the Asano clan because the boy got along great with Takamori, the two of them consider each other brothers."

Shibuki stopped talking and a few minutes later after Sukejuro put down the case files he asked, "So what makes him so promising?"

"The boy isn't great, nor is he even good, at many of our water based techniques, however, he has his own special ability that sets him aside from anyone in this village. For some reason the boy is somehow able to have basic control over plant life using chakra but for some reason I have not been able to find enough Jounin to train such promising boys. I do wonder though, with the proper training, what exactly are these two boys capable of?" Sukejuro had a look of shock on his face.

"I didn't know our village had such children." stated Sukejuro.

"It's a shame they weren't trained earlier, but now that you and the other Jounin are here, we can fix that mistake. And don't think any less of the other students, you will be surprised at some of the things the other students have come up with. This is a great crop we have here Sukejuro, a great crop indeed."

The next morning came and the two boys woke up at their usual time, thirty minutes later than they should have, and got dressed in what they always wear. Takamori wore his usual black tank top with his clan's symbol on the back. The Asano clan symbol is a white circle with the bottom half showing multiple waves of the ocean and the top half is just filled in black. His hair is still naturally spiky and for pants he is wearing some simple navy blue pants with a holster for ninja tools on his waist. Takamori is a little tall for his age and his eyes are almost completely filled in a light shade of blue which is his bloodline trait, the Ryuuchougan. He is also generally the motivational one of the group, he tries to keep everyones spirits up and he puts everyone else before himself.

Akinari wore his usual as well. He's wearing a black undershirt that is barely visible because he wears a tan long sleeve hooded sweat shirt over it, although he almost never puts the hood up. The sweatshirt has a zipper in the front but Akinari usually leaves it open although its a very light sweatshirt and not very baggy. He wears the sweat shirt to cover up all the plates on his body from his past. There are seventeen plates in all spread over his body. One on his chest, four going down his spinal cord, three down the side of each arm, and three down the side of each leg. Although his clothes generally hide them, you can still vaguely see the general shape of them through his clothes. He wears tan pants and black gloves that only cover the palm of his hands because holes for his fingers have been cut out. He has his ninja tool bag strapped to his right thigh because he is a little shorter than Takamori and has a little bit longer arm span so it is easier to reach for him to have it strapped there. Akinari has green eyes and no other distinct characteristics of his face. He generally worries a lot and normally keeps to himself except for the exception of Takamori who he has become very close with, and considers to be his brother.

The two boys, soon after getting dressed, wave goodbye to their family and head out the door in the direction of the new ninja academy. When they arrive there is a check in desk where a few Jounin point them in the right direction. Takamori swings open the door to the classroom which inherently gets everyones attention. He screams, "Takamori Asano and Akinari Horigome ready for action SIR!" What Takamori failed to notice is that the room was only full of a few other students and the teacher hadn't arrived yet.

"Hey Takamori, wanna shut up? It's too early to hear your loudmouth." the boy in the back of the room says as he yawns.

"Can't help it if I'm a little excited, can I Danjuro?" replied Takamori.

"No, but you could at least keep the volume down, ok?" Danjuro soon replied.

He seemed a little grumpy, so Takamori and Akinari went and sat with Ayano, another boy the two of them knew, and Rissa, one of the few girls chosen for early graduation and the only one currently present.

"Where is she!?!" Takamori said as he frantically looked around for someone. The door soon opened again and in came another girl who had been selected. "Chika!" shouted Takamori as he ran to the front of the class to greet her.

"Back off Takamori, I already said that it's not going to happen. You and I are just too different, ok?" she immediately said as Takamori approached. He backed off and walked back to the back of the room where he sat in his chair saddened.

The rest of the students came in slowly until all fifteen were there and a few moments later a Jounin appeared in front of them. "Morning class." the man said loudly, making sure everyone in the room could hear him.

All the children replied together, "Good Morning Hatori Sensei."

"So this is the lot that Shibuki choose for early graduation..." Hatori looked over the bunch of students whom he knew fairly well because he taught most of them in his class at the previous academy.

"Before we begin, I would like to say that everyone I see here is a great student and it was an honor teaching you. That being said, the test isn't too complicated, or for that matter difficult. The lot of you have been chosen because Shibuki feels all of you are ready for graduation, and with my approval, here we are. I will call your names one by one and you will enter the next room down the hall where a few of the new Jounin will ask you for your name and also ask you to perform the water replacement technique. As you all know, this is where you make a water version of yourself so when you are hit in combat you can escape free of harm by replacing yourself with the water version of you. It's not too hard and I know all of you know the proper hand signs." All of the class looked at one another with confidence because they all know they could easily pass this test. This is the most recent technique that was taught to them so it is still fresh in their heads.

Hatori lifted his sheet of paper and called the first name, "Rissa Hagiwara. You have been selected to go first. Please proceed to the next room." A girl from the back of the room stood up and started walking to the front. She is about the same height as Akinari, which is average for their age, she has hair that is blacker than the night and it goes to a little above her shoulders. Shes wearing a hakama, which is a long one piece shirt that is cut to also form a dress, her hakama is a dark shade of pink almost red. She is also wearing a pair of shorts underneath that are the same color and a black sash keeps the waist tight.

Rissa makes it out the door and heads to the next room while the other students are left to wonder. "It shouldn't take long for anyone to take the test so they told me to keep sending you in one after another. Next on the list is..." Hatori runs his finger down the sheet of paper attached to the clipboard until he finds the next name. "Takamori Asano. Please come forward and head to the next room."

Takamori stands up and walks to the front but before he leaves the room he turns around and says, "This shouldn't take long, but none of you better fail or I'll be forced to kick your ass." He then leaves and knocks on the door to the next room.

"Come in." answered a voice from the other side so Takamori enters. He immediately sees a table that a few Jounin are sitting at because the table has the ninja graduation forehead protectors covering it. These are the same forehead protectors that all the higher rank ninja wear and it shows that you are a certified ninja of the country displayed on it. 'There is one missing? Does that mean... Rissa passed?' he wondered to himself. One of the Jounin in the back of the room soon spoke, "Takamori Asano please perform the water replacement technique."

Takamori easily performed the technique and one of the Jounin in the back of the room threw him a forehead protector. "Congratulations kid, you're now a Genin of the Waterfall Village." Takamori leapt into the air with excitement, and then ran out of the school to wait for the others and show his parents his new forehead protector that he now proudly displays on his head.

One by one, the other students came out of the academy and it seemed that all of them had passed the exam.

Akinari was one of the last to come out of the building and he looked really happy. "I know I said I was a little scared yesterday, but the feeling of pride I have wearing this makes all my fear just go away." he said as he met up with Takamori.

Before the students had enough time to finish their congratulations to one another, four Jounin ninjas appeared in-front of them. "Hello students." announced Sukejuro, who continued to speak, "Congratulations on becoming Genins, but know that the easy stuff is over and the babying is done with. We will now split you up into three man squads and begin combat training." The students, as well as the parents, looked extremely shocked.

"What's the meaning of this?" asked the crowd of people.

Endoh, the only female Jounin replied, "Upon graduation of the academy three man squads are formed with a Jounin leader in order to perform two tasks. One task is to not only improve your own skills as a ninja, but to promote teamwork and help your fellow teammates improve, and the other task is to complete missions for the village to promote our village's happy little existence. Personally, I would like to get this over with soon! I don't want to be out all night. Can we please just read off the list of brats and get on with this?"

The parents then became very angry, and it looked like they might have a small riot to take care of. Sukejuro then took charge again, "Sorry for my fellow Jounin's actions. I assure you she isn't always like this." The kids whispered among one another all hoping not to get her as a squad leader.

Endoh grabbed the paper from Sukejuro's hands and quickly read out her student's names, "I need Chika Iitaka, Danjuro Ayabito, and Ayano Abukara. Lets go!" The three students went forward and then started walking off with Endoh. Takamori was giggling at Danjuro being stuck with Endoh until Sukejuro grabbed the paper and read off his name along with Akinari and Rissa.

"I'm going to need the three of you to come with me please." Sukejuro then looked at the parents and said, "Don't worry so much, most of my students come back alive, and some have even come back with all their limbs!" He was joking, of course, because he has never done this before, but neither the parents or the students knew this.

"Shall we be off then?" Sukejuro passed the click-board along to the other Jounin and walked off with his three new Genins.

**Message from the Author:**

Any Comments/Feedback/Suggestions are greatly appreciated. Hopefully some of you are enjoying this story and I will have another chapter up soon so stayed tuned for Chapter Three: The New Team and Combat Training!


	3. The New Team and Combat Training!

Chapter Three: The New Team and Combat Training!

Sukejuro brought the team to the top of the great tree in the center of town to talk. "Welcome everyone! As a new team, I am supposed to ask you all what your dreams are and why you wanted to become ninja. I guess we can start with you Rissa."

The three of them all focused their attention on Rissa which made her highly uncomfortable because of her shy nature. "Well... Umm... I guess I want to become a poison specialist like my father, that's why I became a ninja." she answered very softly.

"Following in the footsteps of your parents, a very honorable thing to do. How about you Akinari?" questioned Sukejuro.

"Well... It's something I can do with Takamori and It's nice to protect the people I care about." Akinari seemed uneasy answering the question because he doesn't like being put on the spot. Sukejuro turned to Takamori and before he could even ask the question again Takamori answered.

"I want to become strong! And I want to be able to protect those who cant protect themselves! I will do anything to achieve my goal!" he seemed very sure of himself while answering.

"Well thats that... I Guess its time to start combat training." the three Genins looked excited but somewhat surprised that training started so early.

"Sukejuro Sensei." said Akinari in a puzzled voice.

"What is it?" he replied.

"Well... What exactly are we doing for combat training?" Akinari asked.

"Well Akinari, you know how you just had graduation? Well... thats not entirely true. Each Jounin squad leader has to give their squad a test in combat before they are allowed to go on and fully become Genin. If you don't pass this test then you will have to go back to the academy for another year. Luckily, all fifteen students passed the simple exam, but this is where we weed out the lucky ones from the gifted ones." All three of the students were in complete shock.

jumped from the tree they were resting on to the ground a little bit away and the three "You mean we worked really hard to get this far just to be sent back!?!" shouted Takamori out of anger.

"Well, you won't get sent back if you pass." Sukejuro replied. Takamori became silent and went back to a really relaxed state.

"That's not a problem. I just won't fail this little test of yours." he said calmly.

"Well Takamori, it's not just a test for you it's a test for the squad. From here on in you three are a team. Team Sukejuro, and that's a name I hope you three can live up to." Takamori giggled but Sukejuro gave him a mean look and continued talking, "The test is up to the discretion of the Jounin who gives it. My test is very simple, and if you will all follow me I will show you." after finishing his speech, the Genin followed.

They reached the great waterfall hiding their village and stopped for a minute or two before passing through it. The team then headed off deep into the woods, and after several hours had passed, Sukejuro stopped. "This is the spot." he said.

"The spot for what?" the students replied.

"The spot for the combat test, of course. Your test is very simple. All you need to do is make it back to the village alive."

Akinari immediately, but very calmly said, "That's an easy one, I have been marking trees as we went along. All we have to do is follow them back." Sukejuro burst out laughing and the three students looked confused.

"That was a very smart thing to do Akinari, but it wont help you here. When we stopped at the waterfall I put you all in a small genjustsu (mind altering technique) so that you would have no idea where you are. If you don't believe me I will release the genjutsu now." The entire forest surrounding them started to change rapidly until it looked nothing like what it was before. "Ohh yeah, before I leave you alone here, I must warn you. I didn't lead you into any old forest. This is in the forbidden area. The place where our villagers aren't supposed to go. This forest is full of old traps left behind from previous ninja battles, as well as many thieves and bandits just looking to see some bloodshed." The three students' mouths dropped to the ground. "Well, I guess thats all you need to know, ohh yeah, if you're not back in two days then... you fail!" Sukejuro vanished in a cloud of smoke leaving the three students alone, right as nightfall was approaching.

"IS HE SERIOUS!?!" shouted Takamori with anger.

"I think its kinda obvious he isn't kidding Takamori. He even trapped us in a genjutsu... They really do only want the strong to survive." replied Akinari.

The three stood there for a few moments until Rissa finally broke the silence, "Umm... guys... I think we should look for some water and maybe set up camp." The two boys looked at her and nodded.

Takamori jumped up into the trees and started looking around. "What's he doing?" asked Rissa.

"He's using his Ryuuchougan to locate a water source. It can't sense water far enough to find the village, but some sort of stream would help the current situation." answered Akinari as Takamori landed back on the ground.

"There's a river not too far from here, we might be able to follow it back to town, but it's a group decision, anyone up for it?" asked Takamori. Rissa put her hand up but Akinari had something to say.

"Wait Rissa. Think about it for a second before you just agree. Following the river is a dangerous thing to do. There are plenty of beasts that use that water supply as well as bandits. Think about it for a minute is all." Rissa put her hand back down.

"Thats true but we are water ninja, being near a water source also gives us a great advantage." stated Takamori.

Rissa raised her hand again but Akinari opened his mouth again, "The danger is too great for the reward, it's a fools move!"

Rissa put her hand down again and the boys when back and forth arguing until Rissa screamed, "SILENCE!" Her voice then went back to her normal soft, almost dead silent, shy voice, "I... think... umm... I think we should go to the river." Takamori smiled and started leading the way as Akinari just sighed.

After a short time the three had reached a raging river that was flowing extremely fast. Rissa reached intro the water and before she could scoop some up into her hands Takamori tackled her off to the side. Rissa thought to her self, 'Why is Takamori tackling me? He better not try anything' Her thought was interrupted by a kunai landing in the ground where she was standing. "Be on your guard, everyone!" screamed Akinari as he pulled a kunai from his holster. 'I guess he was just saving me.' Rissa thought as she got back up and pulled a kunai from her holster.

"I thought Sukejuro Sensei said there were only bandits in these woods. He failed to mention enemy shinobi." muttered Takamori. The three got in a circle all facing outwards slowly turning so that they could all get a glance of all directions. Before too long, someone falls into the middle of the circle on his hands and sends both Takamori and Akinari flying into opposite directions of the woods. Rissa jumped forward about ten feet and turned around but to her surprise no one was there.

She started getting very scared and fell to her knees in tears. "I don't want to die!" she screamed, and a man appeared in front of her.

"Well little girl, I don't think you have much say in that." he said as he pulled out a kunai. Rissa opened up the front of her hakama to reveal hundreds upon hundreds of needles in rows on the inside. She was also wearing an undershirt that was the same color of her hakama so no-one would suspect she was hiding all the needles.

She quickly grabbed a bunch and threw them at her opponent, but he jumped to the side and dodged. "Who are you?!?" she shouted.

"I'm your death." he replied as he ran quickly toward her.

She jumped back and formed a few hand signs saying, "One-hundred shadow needle barrage!" She grabbed two handfuls of needles, and she threw them again, but this time one-hundred extra needles appeared. About ten needles landed in their target, the rest eventually hit something in the distance, but the shadow needles disappeared. 'That was easier than I expected. All I had to do was create a bunch of fake needles and he wouldn't know which to dodge. Even if only one landed, my poison would have killed him anyway.' she thought to herself. The man soon became surrounded by smoke and all that was left when the smoke cleared was a log with her needles stuck in it.

'A replacement jutsu! Where's the real one?' she thought. "Come on out and fight me!" she screamed.

"Earth element: Suicidal beheading!" screamed a voice from below Rissa and then a hand came out of the ground and pulled her under until all that was left was her head poking out. "Nice trick little girl. I really wasn't expecting that from you but alas, this is where you meet your end..." before the ninja could finish his sentence he was forced to dodge an incoming kunai.

"Don't count us out that soon." said Takamori who was now running over to Rissa.

"I don't think so kid!" screamed the man as he started to run toward her as well, but his leg was caught by something.

"He said don't count us out didn't he. Vine entrapment technique!" screamed Akinari as vines grew from the ground and entangled the mans arms and legs.

"Rissa, you ok?" asked Takamori as he began to dig her up.

"You... you... you came back for me?" she asked.

"Of course! We're a team aren't we?" stated Takamori dramatically as he finished digging her up.

The man looked down at his entangled body and he sank into the ground laughing. 'He must be an earth element specialist but why is he attacking us?' pondered Takamori. The man suddenly reappeared behind Akinari giving him a clearly painful blow to the head that sent him bouncing along the floor. "AKINARI!" shouted Takamori as he ran at the man throwing several kunai which all were dodged. Takamori jumped over him and landed by the river. "NOW RISSA!" he shouted as Rissa performed one-hundred shadow needle barrage once again. Takamori laid his hands on the water pouring chakra into it as the needles flew at the enemy shinobi. The man took the blow again and Takamori witnessed him beginning to bury himself in the ground as the blow hit a replacement. "This one's for Akinari!" Takamori shouted as the ground began shaking a little. The enemy shinobi shot out of the ground from the hole he went into from a stream of rushing water. "Just as we planned! Hit him one more time Rissa!" Takamori screamed as Rissa began throwing several needles into the air. They were all direct hits, and the ninja landed in the raging river where he got caught in the current.

"Akinari! Are you all right?" asked Takamori.

"Ya, I think so... arrr... that stings. Where's our mystery man?" he replied.

"Rissa and I took care of that goon. When I was digging her up I told her to attack on my command and to follow my lead. Turns out I'm not just a goof-ball because, hey, it worked." Takamori grinned.

"We should probably rest for a few hours to regain some of our strength and then start to head back. That seems like the most logical thing to do." Akinari said as Rissa and Takmori nodded.

The group rested after their battle with a real shinobi and they were feeling pretty good about the outcome. 'I wonder how the other teams are doing...' Takamori thought to himself...

"YOU BRATS! YOU THINK YOU CAN BE NINJA AND YOU CANT DISPEL A SIMPLE GENJUTSU!" screamed Endoh at her three students.

"I don't think trapping us in a deadly genjutsu is the best way to test us, sensei." said Danjuro in a frightened voice.

"Well, this is your final test, dispel this genjutsu or die within it! I'll make you see things you didn't even know existed!" she shouted at them again, this time even louder...

'I bet they have it easy.' Takamori continued thinking as he lay looking up at the stars. "We've rested long enough. We should head out before we get any more surprises. Sukejuro Sensei didn't have us in that genjutsu for long, so I think if we head upstream we should be able to find the village in a couple of hours." stated Akinari. The three of them seemed to all agree and they leaped into the trees and started following the river. They didn't get far until they ran into more trouble.

There was a young girl being harassed by a bunch of thieves, so the group stopped advancing. "Should we help her?" asked Akinari as he looked back to see what his companions thought Takamori was already jumping down to help her. "He's always got to help those in need doesn't he?" stated Akinari.

"Hey you guys! Leave her alone or you will have to deal with me!" shouted Takamori with authority.

"You and what army?" one of the thieves said.

"My team and I will kick your ass." Takamori looked behind him but his team wasn't there.

"Some nice team you got there." one of the thieves chuckled.

"Looks like it's five against one." said another of the thieves as they surrounded him. Takamori set his hands on the ground and started pouring out chakra again.

"What are you doing kid? Kneeling and asking for some pity? Pathetic Kid!" as the thief was about to kick Takamori water started rising from the ground and forming a ring around him which he then shot out in all directions. The thieves were all knocked on their asses but Takamori collapsed from using up too much of his chakra.

"Impressive little trick, kid." said one of the thieves as they all started getting back up only suffering minor injuries. "Looks like this is it for..." the thief collapsed on the ground and in the back of his neck was a needle with purple liquid coming out of it. Akinari jumped down, separating the thieves from both Takamori and the girl. Rissa then jumped down next to the girl.

"This is as far as you get! Rissa, take the girl and get out of here. I will take care of these guys." Rissa nodded at Akinari and ran off with the girl, still following the river.

'It's already midday, if I don't hurry this along then we'll fail the exam' Akinari thought. The thieves charged him all at once but he very calmly put his hands together forming a hand sign and shouted, "Vine staff!" A vine appeared out of the ground and it hardened quickly. Akinari snapped off a fairly straight piece and charge the thieves, meeting them head on!

"Are you all right little girl? What's your name?" Rissa had stopped running because she had gotten some distance from the fight.

"My name is Aki." she replied.

"Don't worry Aki, I won't let anything happen to you." Rissa told her as she worried about her teammates.

Akinari jumped up into the air and came spinning down slamming one end of his staff into a thieves face who then went soaring. As he landed, another thief was in front of him about to slam his fist down onto his back. Akinari dropped to the ground and thrust his staff upward into the thief's jaw, knocking him out cold. Akinari quickly returned to his feet exhausted.

Another thief charged Akinari and he took a swing at him with his staff, but the thief caught the staff in his hand. He then hit Akinari with a good right hook sending him to his knees. The other thief came over and they were both beating on the heavily exhausted Akinari. "HELP!" he screamed, and Takamori opened his eyes again.

"Water whip!" he screamed as a small stream of water came out of the river and acted as a floating whip. It hit the first thief, knocking him aside and then the water fell to the ground. The last thief looked over at Takamori who was charging at him clenching his fists. "Don't touch my brother!" he shouted as he landed a nasty uppercut to the thief's gut.

"You all right?" he asked as Akinari stood back up.

"I'll manage." he replied and Takamori fell to the ground.

"You might have to carry me back." he laughed as Akinari placed him on his shoulders.

"Hold on." Akinari began running forward, at a slow speed.

"Hey Rissa!" they shouted as they approached their teammate. "I have good news and I have bad news Rissa. The good news is that we are all fine. The bad news is that it's sundown and there is no way we can make it back to the village by morning, or even by tomorrow for that matter." Akinari said with a sad tone to his voice. "Looks like we fail..." before Akinari could finish his sentence Takamori interrupted him,

"Don't you dare say that! We will not fail! Don't give up so easily. We may not be able to make it back in time but we will be shinobi! We may have to take stupid tests like this a thousand times but we'll do it and we'll do it together! We will gain the power to protect those close to us!" he shouted with great passion as the spirits of his team mates rose.

"Well done Team Sukejuro, well done." said the little girl as she transformed into Sukejuro. "You pass my test."

"You were Sukejuro this entire time!?! Why didn't you help us? We could have died!" screamed Akiniari.

"It's simple, I had to make sure you were ready. Like it was said earlier, you were picked for early graduation for your combat skills. I wasn't afraid of you losing your fight with the thieves, I knew you could win that if you worked together. I said at the beginning of this test that you are a team now. I have to say, your team worked very well together, and I was able to see some of your individual skills first hand. None of you ran away when the situation got grim, and you stood by your team. I also wanted to see if you would risk failing the mission to save someone in need. I am very impressed with all of you and I am happy to tell you that you passed. And don't worry, if any of you were in any serious trouble, I was there to intervene."

"Serious trouble! We were attacked by an enemy shinobi! Where were you then!" shouted Takamori.

"Well to tell you the truth, I forgot my lucky kunai back in the village so I ran back to get it." Sukejuro replied as the three mouths of his students once again dropped to the floor.

'Oh well, I guess it cant be helped. At least we passed our final test and are on our way to becoming strong shinobi!' Takamori thought to himself, 'but what about Danjuro and the others, wonder how things turned out for them?'

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU RATTED ON ME! YOU TOLD SHIBUKI I TRAPPED YOU ALL IN A DANGEROUS GENJUTSU AS YOUR FINAL TEST! AS SOON AS I CATCH YOU I'M GOING TO WRING YOUR NECKS, YOU LITTLE BRATS!" shouted Endoh as she chased her students around the halls of Shibuki's office.

**Message from the Author:**

Any Comments/Feedback/Suggestions are greatly appreciated. There was combat in a chapter finally! See what happens next in Chapter Four: Our First Mission!


	4. Our First Mission!

Chapter Four: Our First Mission!

"Team Sukejuro, congratulations on passing your final test." said Shibuki who is sitting at a long table along with a few Jounin. "I assure you that was your last test and you are in-fact full Genin now. You are now ready to receive missions." All three students looked very excited to receive their first mission. "Mission assigning is done by a panel like you see now. There are typically four ranks of missions; The A rank missions, which are reserved for Jounin, the B rank missions, which are reserved for Chuunin, the C rank missions, which are reserved for low level Chuunin and high level Genin, and lastly there are D rank missions, which are reserved for new Genin. These ranks are set up to determine how much a client must pay for our village's services as well as giving a guideline of how dangerous a mission is. In most C rank missions, and almost all D rank missions, there will be little combat. For higher level missions, the A and B rank, you are guaranteed to find combat and almost guaranteed to fight enemy Shinobi. The panel and I have decided to give you a D rank mission because you have not done any missions before."

Takamori tried getting a few words out about how they have already defeated an enemy shinobi and how the team deserved a higher ranked mission but Sukejuro stopped him. "We will gladly accept any mission you give us." Sukejuro humbly replied.

"Your first mission is to pull the weeds out at Lady Shimani's home. After your mission is done you may come back for pay and reassignment." one of the Jounin said on the panel.

"Thank you. Team Sukejuro, move out!" the team walked out the door with low spirits.

"Didn't you tell him about how we defeated that enemy ninja, Sukejuro Sensei?" asked Akinari.

"I told him, in-fact I asked that you be immediately placed on a rank C mission. The panel must have disagreed. I wonder why..."

Back in Shibuki's office the day before, "Sir, with all due respect, my team is ready for a rank C mission. With my help they might be able to pull off a rank B mission, why are you so insistent on giving them rank D missions?" asked Sukejuro with a very frustrated voice.

"It's not up to me Sukejuro, you know that. It's the panels decision, not mine. My hands are tied here." he replied.

"Isn't there anything you can do? You're the leader of our village, that has to give you some sort of leverage." pondered Sukejuro.

"I'll try Sukejuro, that's all I can promise." Sukejuro looked at Shibuki and bowed, then he disappeared.

The door to Shibuki's office opened and a few Jounin entered the room. "We will not allow you to send Team Sukejuro on a mission greater than rank D." the Jounin all seemed to all agree. "The two boys are too unpredictable. We know nothing of Akinari's past, he could easily be a spy for another country, or Orichimaru. There is also the concern of Takamori and his Ryuuchogan. He is unstable and unpredictable, who knows what he will do under pressure. We're sorry but that is our decision, tomorrow at mission assigning they will receive a rank D mission." The Jounin all left his office and Shibuki sat at his desk with a disappointed look on his face.

"I tried my best team. Let's do our best on the mission that is assigned to us and maybe next time they will give us a better mission." said Sukejuro to his team. "I have to go look into something team, do you mind doing this one without me?" asked Sukejuro. The entire team looked at him and nodded. Sukejuro then vanished in a puff of smoke.

The team headed over to Lady Shimani's house and knocked on the door. "Team Sukejuro is here to to help you with your weed problem." said Akinari with a fake smile on. Lady Shimani invited the team in and showed them to the back yard where they began work.

Shibuki is sitting at his desk looking over a bunch of paperwork and signing some forms as Sukejuro comes in through the door. "Using the door for once Sukejuro. It's not like you."

"And not listening to one of your oldest friends isn't like you Shibuki. Why is my team pulling weeds right now?" asked Sukejuro with an angry tone to his voice.

"Like I said earlier Sukejuro, it's not up to me, it's up to the panel and they decided on a rank D mission. Look Sukejuro, It's out of my hands." replied Shibuki as he got up from his chair and walked over to Sukejuro.

"Why Shibuki, why?" he asked again.

Shibuki laid his hands on Sukejuro's shoulders and began explaining, "Sukejuro... since we're old pals... I'll throw you a bone. The panel feels that your team is too unpredictable. They think with Akinari's questionable past and Takamori's mysterious bloodline that it would be risky to send your team into the battle field." Sukejuro forcefully shrugged Shibuki's hands off of him.

"Wheres the noble ninja I once knew? The one who believed in changing this village for the better. The man who followed in his father's honorable foot steps. Where is the friend I came back after ten years for?" Sukejuro vanished again, leaving Shibuki in his office alone.

"Looks like were all done here ma'am." said Rissa.

"Ohh, thank you so very much children. Now go run along and I will send my pay to the Ninja Academy immediately." Lady Shimani said in response.

The three headed back into the main center of the village. "What did she call us?!? Did she call us children?!?" Takamori screamed at the top of his lungs. 'And I thought I was the one mad about getting a rank D mission.' Akinari thought to himself. Takamori seemed to cool down as soon as he saw Chika walking down the street. "Hey Chika!" he screamed as his team joined up with her.

"Hey Takamori. How goes ninja life, assuming you passed your 'final' test." she giggled.

"Of course we passed. So I take it your team passed as well?" Takamori replied.

"Team Endoh has me, the famous Danjuro Ayabito, of course we passed. Seeing that you passed the final test must have been easier for your team." replied Danjuro who came walking out from a barbecue restaurant with Ayano.

"Heh, the famous Danjuro Ayabito, what are you famous for? Being the worse ninja?" Takamori snickered as Danjuro tried throwing a punch or two but Akinari and Chika held him back. "So what are you three doing here?"

"We are here to celebrate our actual graduation." replied Ayano. Ayano was one of the ninja who was assigned to the Endoh Team after graduation. He is about the same height as Akinari, although he is a little taller and has orange hair which is cut short but rugged, which goes well with his bright colored eyes. He wears a long robe that is a couple sizes too big for him, so it flaps open on the top a lot. It's navy blue with a thick red trim on it, which matches his red cloth around his ninja forehead protector. He is also wearing matching baggy pants with his equipment bag on the back of a red sash holding his robe to his waist. Ayano also has red bandages tied up his arms as well as red bandages tied up his pant legs to just below his knees which hold his baggy pants tight. Ayano has a very serious personality and barely ever jokes around.

"Ya, we all came out to celebrate that and our first mission being completed." added Chika, the only girl on the Endoh Team. Chika wears almost the same thing as Rissa, but looks completely different. Chika is the same height as Rissa and Akinari but she has long orange hair that drops to her lower back when not being held up, although it usually is. She has blue eyes and is a very skinny body type but not sickly looking. She wears a similar hakama and short set as Rissa, however hers is orange with a thick white trim, and she has a white sash that keeps her waist tight. Takamori has an obvious crush on Chika and she was the most popular girl in the academy before they graduated. She is very aware of her beauty and popularity and is very snotty about it.

"You guys have been on a mission too?!?" inquired Takamori. "What rank mission was it?"

"Rank C, all the best teams get rank C missions." Danjuro replied. Danjuro is a long time rival of Takamori and almost everyone knows it. The two compete at everything possible and their friendship is complicated. Danjuro is just an inch or two shorter then Takamori, who doesn't let him forget. Danjuro has short blond hair that is spiked in the front and has blue eyes. He wears black shorts and and an extremely dark purple vest with a high collar and short sleeves. His ninja tool bag is on his waist near the back of him. He is somewhat rude and a jerk but has a good heart.

"You got a rank C!" screamed Akinari. "Thats not fair..." Akinari looked real sad.

"Umm.. hey.. you guys want to join us for some barbecue?" Chika asked in a desperate attempt to cheer Akinari up.

"We would love to, but we're on our way to the Ninja Academy to get a new mission, we just finished our first mission as well." replied Takamori.

"I have an idea, to save some time why don't we all go to the Ninja Academy? The Endoh Team still hasn't passed our mission in either." stated Ayano. "Then we can all come back for some barbecue together." Everyone agreed with Ayano that it would be smarter to go to the Ninja Academy first before eating barbecue.

The two teams entered the academy together and went into the mission room where the panel of Jounin and Shibuki were sitting. "Team Sukejuro and Team Endoh, what is your report?" asked of the Jounin on the panel. Both teams reported that their missions were complete but they can't find either of their sensei's.

"Your Sensei's are on separate missions at the moment, so you will have to start your next missions by yourself and they can join you when they're done." stated another Jounin on the panel. "We will give Team Endoh another C rank mission and for Team Sukejuro another D rank." Takamori and Akinari both looked fairly angry about that decision, while Danjuro just grinned widely.

"Recall that previous order, teams. It is highly unlikely for a team to go on a rank C mission without their Squad Leader." Shibuki said as Takamori laughed silently because Danjuro was about to get a rank D mission. "I will assign both teams to the rank C missions together, that way you don't need a Jounin's assistance." Everyone in the room, including the panel of Jounins, all looked shocked. "Ayano will be assigned temporary team leader until your Sensei meet up with you. Your mission is to escort one of the chairman of the Manto Organization back to his headquarters in a nearby city. Some thugs attacked him on his way back and we brought him to our village until he was well enough to leave. There shouldn't be any complications on this mission, and I expect it to be completed well from you two teams. You can meet the man at the village outpost, you are dismissed."

"Does this mean we don't get barbecue?" asked Takamori.

**Message from the Author:**

Any Comments/Feedback/Suggestions are greatly appreciated. The next chapter is going to be a good one, with a lot of new techniques and a lot of fighting but no-one is leaving any feedback or comments so I'm getting pretty discouraged about continuing. See what happens next in Chapter Five: Fight The Enemy, Not One Another!


	5. Fight The Enemy, Not One Another!

Chapter Five: Fight The Enemy, Not One Another!

"Why am I stuck with such a loser on a mission?" asked Takamori outside of the Ninja Academy.

"Loser? Loser? I'll show you loser!" Danjuro attempts to hit Takamori but Ayano stops him.

"Stop that right now! This mission will go smoothly or I will personally destroy you!" screamed Ayano. "Everyone, gather your things and meet at the outpost. Whoever is not there in ten minutes will be left behind, understand?!? The missions should only take a couple of days, so pack lightly. Lets go!" Ayano ordered as the other teammates were already walking off in the distance. "You have to listen to me! I'm the squad leader!" he shouted as the others looked back.

"You say something Ayano?" asked Chika in the distance. "If you don't hurry and pack we'll be late meeting the Chairman." she added as Ayano just fell to the ground. Why won't anyone listen to me... he thought to himself as he sprung up to his feet running toward his house.

The newly formed team soon met up near the outpost to town. Most of the team members are carrying large backpacks full of different things, as well as large containers of water, but Danjuro brought a strange looking staff with him. "What's that Danjuro? A walking stick?" joked Takamori.

Danjuro just grinned and said, "You'll have to wait and see Takamori."

"Is everyone ready?" asked Ayano as the entire team is nodding. The team approached the small outpost building near the edge of town and they could see their client waiting. "Hello Chairman. Sorry to keep you waiting, the team had to prepare." Ayano introduced himself and all the other team members to the Chairman. "And what may we call you?"

"Alive, if you do your job right. These thugs after me won't stop until I'm dead." replied the Chairman who seemed to be very wealthy from the way he dressed. He is wearing a full suit that looks very clean and new. The suit is black which matches his small dark sunglasses. He has short black hair with a streak of grey on both sides. He is a short man, just slightly taller than Takamori, and is quite large, showing that he is well fed.

"We'll keep you safe if you do what we say Fatty." muttered Danjuro.

"What did he call me?!?" shouted the Chairman out of anger.

"He didn't say anything, did you Danjuro?!?" Ayano looked back at Danjuro with a pissed off look.

"Ya, I didn't say anything." Danjuro replied.

The team had the waterfall protecting the village be opened for them and they headed outside. "This is the plan everyone, so listen up." Ayano took charge quickly. "I will walk slightly ahead of the group but keeping you all within eye sight. Behind me will be the Chairman surrounded by Chika, Rissa and Akinari. Following us in the rear will be Danjuro and Takamori to watch our backs. The entire team is to keep within a short distance of one another and we are to stay in visual contact at all times. Is that understood?" Everyone nodded as they formed up. "Lets move out! And remember, we are taking this mission a little slow so that everyone can stay together. The travel from here to the Manto Organization is only a few days walk." The team was finally off into the woods.

"So what does the Manto Organization do?" asked Chika.

"We make several different products that lower class people can afford. I suppose thats why the gangs are after us. If we make things that the common people buy then they have no money to give the thugs and nothing worth stealing. We put a damper on their plans I suppose." he replied politely.

"Maybe this guy isn't so bad after all." Takamori said to Danjuro as they held up the rear.

"I know his type. He pretends to help those in need but he just so happens to fill his wallet with poor people's money. Knocking out a thug's job is just something that happens when he is getting rich. Look at him! He even looks stinking rich. He's scum Takamori and I'm ashamed to have to put my life on the line for him. He gives all those who worked hard for their money a bad name!" Danjuro said in response. I wonder what's up with Danjuro. Why is he so emotional about this? Takamori thought to himself but his thought pattern was interrupted by Ayano screaming.

"Incoming thugs team! Let's take them out quick so we can move along. Takamori joined the others protecting the Chairman, Danjuro, you cover the rear, and I'll cover the front." Ayano barked out orders like he has been doing this for years. All team members went into their positions and awaiting an attack.

"Where are they?!?" screamed Danjuro from the back of the group up to Ayano.

"I don't know... I had them in sight for a second but then lost them..." he replied.

"I think I might be able to help with that." Takamori began explaining. "My eyes can see any water source but only if its slightly hidden. If I focus it hard enough I might be able to see it through the human body. I have never tried before but I think its worth a shot." Ayano nodded his head giving Takamori the ok.

'Focus... Focus...' Takamori thought to himself as he formed a hand sign. He closed his eyes and began focusing even more. 'I can do this... I can do this... Ryuuchogan.' Takamori's opened his eyes, which went a much darker shade of blue and looked like they were spinning. "I see them! They're... they're.. they're surrounding us. Look out! They're attacking!" he shouted as a very large group of thugs came at them from all sides. Now the team was visibly surrounded, so Takamori's eyes went back to normal and he looked a little winded.

"All we want is the Chairman. Give him to us and the rest of you can live." the biggest and fattest thug said as he emerged from the trees. "You're surrounded. I even have archers in most of the trees here, you stand no chance." he continued. "So what will it be? The death of all of you or the death of just one." the thugs began laughing in that jackal sort of way.

I didn't think they would attack us so soon. Ayana thought to himself. What are we going to do? There must be at least fifty of them. I hope the team just follows my lead... his thinking was interrupted by the loud mouth of Takamori. "You think you can take us?" he shouted.

"You're just children. What can you possibly do?" the thug replied as Takamori began clenching his fists.

"We're not children! We're NINJA!!!" shouted Takamori! "Don't underestimate us!"

"Hmm... kill them all." the thug gave the order and hundreds of arrows were fired at the Chairman.

Danjuro ran and leaped into the air above where the Chairman was cowering in fear. "Water cyclone!" he shouted as he began rapidly spinning his staff. The staff then opened up on both ends and water started to leak out. Danjuro began spinning the staff faster and a cyclone of water appeared, deflecting all the arrows. Danjuro then landed on the other side of the Chairman and bolted at some thugs who he began fighting.

"Water Taijutsu!" Ayano screamed as his hands and feet became surrounded by water being maintained with chakra. Ayano ran toward a large group of thugs with highly increased speed. He uppercut one of them sending them soaring into a tree that snapped on impact with the thug.

Rissa opened her top, knowing where the archers were now, and used one-hundred shadow needle barrage. Not knowing what needles to dodge, bodies of dead archers fell from the trees all around them as Ayano and Danjuro continued their assault on a large group of thugs.

A couple of the thugs starting screaming that giant bugs were attacking them and they began hitting one another. "Genjutsu Complete." Chika said proudly as more thugs began attacking one another.

A few thugs tried running but the roots of trees came bursting out of the ground and began attacking them. Akinari was pouring chakra into the ground as Rissa gave him back up.

"I told you not to underestimate us, didn't I?" stated Takamori with a firm tone to his voice. The thug boss looked completely amazed that his entire horde of thugs were being defeated by a bunch of kids. Takamori opened his large jug of water and then laid his hand over it. "Water bullet barrage!" he screamed as the water formed into small pieces in the air and went soaring at the thug boss. It was a direct hit and the thug went crashing to his knees completely winded. "Take your wounded and leave!" screamed Takamori into the face of the thug boss.

The barely wounded thugs stood up and grabbed the ones who couldn't walk themselves and they vanished into the distance. "How was that Chair..." Takamori stopped talking when he saw the Chairman's expression. "Everything ok Chairman? You weren't hurt were you?" he asked.

"Hurt? Hurt? I don't have a scratch on me! That was amazing! My name is Izuka and I am honored to have you all guarding me." replied Izuka as he got up from the ground and bowed to all the Genin.

"No need to thank us Izuka, it's what were paid for." replied Ayano humbly. "We should continue now. It's going to get dark soon and we still need to get further along before we set up camp for the night. Everyone back in formation, we're moving on out!" he added as the team began moving again.

After several hours had passed the team stopped and set up a camp for the night where they took turns watching guard.

Meanwhile in a dark damp cave in the middle of nowhere, the thug boss was making a deal with someone. "This is all we have. Take it all! I just want to see those brats pay for defeating my gang." he shouted at a man in the darkness of the cave, who appeared to be clenching a blood stained piece of material.

"Ohh they'll pay... I can assure you!" the man replied.

**Message from the Author:**

Any Comments/Feedback/Suggestions are greatly appreciated. Who is the man in the cave who seems to have alternative motives? What new skills will you see the team perform in the next chapter, Chapter Six: Shinobi for Hire!


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